http://mav.pca.org
Upcoming Events • Father’s Day Picnic • Sunday Drive • Rally School
Past Events • Wild Wildflowers • May at Mayo’s • Results
February 2014 - Published by the Maverick Region June 2007 -Porsche Published byof the Maverick Region Club America Porsche Club of America
Š2013 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times
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Volume 52, Issue 2, February 2014
Go Online for Latest Updates on Events at http://mav.pca.org Visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/mavpca/ Departments Zone 5 Presidents .........................................1 Drifting (President’s Column) ......................2 Maverick of the Month.................................2 List of Officers/Board Chairs .......................4 Carey On (Editor’s Column) ........................5 Maverick Minutes ........................................6 New Wheels and Anniversaries..................31 Advertiser Index.........................................32 Unclassifieds ..............................................32
Features
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December Trivia ...........................................7 Destination Restoration..............................10 Garage Glimpses ........................................14 Insurance Tips ............................................18 Of Special Interest......................................20 Cliff’s Ramblings .......................................22 I Get Around ..............................................24 Tech Corner ................................................26 Panorama Special Section ..........................28
Day 5 11 15-16 20 23 27
February Board Meeting Lewisville Lunch Drivers’ Education 1, MSR Monthly Social: Uncle Julio’s Autocross 1, DR Richardson/Southlake Lunches
Day 2 5 8-9 11 11 20 27
March Autocross 2, Penn Board Meeting Drivers’ Education 2, ECR 2014 Parade Registration opens Lewisville Lunch Monthly Social: TBD Richardson/Southlake Lunches
Upcoming Events
Day 2 8 12-13 17 24
April Board Meeting Lewisville Lunch Drivers’ Education 3, MSR Monthly Social: TBD Richardson/Southlake Lunches
Day 2-4 7 13 15 18 22 25
May COTA Club Race Board Meeting Lewisville Lunch Monthly Social: TBD Autocross Academy, DR Richardson/Southlake Lunches Autocross 3, DR
DE 1, MotorSport Ranch .............................5 Board Meeting .............................................7 Autocross 1 (DR) and 2 (Penn) ....................8 Maverick Lunch Series ..............................19 Monthly Social: Uncle Julio’s ....................27
Past Event Recaps Hope Shelter Christmas Party ....................12 Maverick Holiday Party .............................16
Driving Event Venues COTA Circuit of the Americas, Austin DR Dallas Raceway, Crandall ECR Eagles Canyon Raceway, Slidell MSR MotorSport Ranch, Cresson MW Mineral Wells Airport, Mineral Wells Penn Pennington Field Stadium, Bedford
Slipstream (USPS 666-650) is published monthly by the Maverick Region, Porsche Club of America, 155 Jellico Southlake, TX 76092. Subscription price is $24.00 per year. Periodical postage is paid at Fort Worth, TX. Postmaster: Send address changes to Hiram Saunders, Slipstream, 155 Jellico, Southlake, TX 76092.
On the Cover: Deck lid of a 914-6 at the 2013 Porsche Parade, sporting a Nürburgring badge. Rotate the cover 90 degrees counterclockwise for proper orientation! Photo by Carey Spreen
Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily endorsed by the Club’s membership or officers. Contributions will be printed on a space available basis. Chartered regions of PCA may reproduce items from this issue provided the author/ artist and Slipstream are credited. Slipstream is printed by Ussery Printing Company in Irving, Texas.
2014 PCA Zone 5 Presidents and Zone Representative ARK-LA-TEX Kirk Bristol kbristol911@gmail.com
COASTAL BEND Jose Carreras missionortho@aol.com
LONE STAR Greg Platt president@lsrpca.com
MARDI GRAS Rick Payton rpayton35@aol.com
OZARK John Bullen JohnCBullen@gmail.com
WHISKEY BAY Henry Carter hjcarterod@gmail.com
CIMARRON Bill Jacobi bjacobi@sbcglobal.net
HILL COUNTRY Courtney Gross courtney.e.gross@gmail.com
LONGHORN Jack Merrell 911scracer@gmail.com
MAVERICK John Hamlton president@mavpca.org
WAR BONNET Grady Buckhalter grady.buckhalter@gmail.com
WHITE RIVER Leonard Zechiedrich uber930@gmail.com
ZONE 5 REP Lynn Friedman zone5rep@pca.org
1
Drifting: COTA 2014 By John Hamilton, Region President
Y
es! We have gained agreement in principle to return to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in 2014 for a combined Club Race and Drivers’ Education program. We are scheduled for Friday-SaturdaySunday, May 2-3-4. Watch for more details as plans get finalized.
“What does this mean to me?” you might ask, if you’re not a Club Racer or DE-er? By renting COTA, it gives ALL our members the opportunity to visit one of the newest (1-1/2 years old) and best-designed race tracks in the world. You can watch Porsches race there without paying an admission fee, with the added benefit that the COTA track is right in our back yard in Austin, Texas. So pencil it in on your calendar and watch for more details as they emerge in the upcoming weeks. It would make a great family outing!!! “Inclusion”: our key word for 2014. One of the ways in which we’re promoting the “inclusion” of more Porsche owners in 2014 is by adding special articles to Slipstream each month on some of our historic and famous Porsche models. We’ve asked the 356 Tub Club, the Porsche 928 Club, and Porsche 914 owners to contribute articles about the happenings in their clubs, as well. Porsche has an incredible history, and the historic significance of each of these models cannot be over-emphasized. Look for the inaugural article on the 356 Tub Club in this issue!
Mav of the Month As many of you know, our charitable effort is primarily focused on supporting the HuffakerHughes Hope House in Mineral
2 February
ALEXIS A. V. CAMPBELL, Proprietor 1235 William D. Tate Ave Grapevine, TX 76051 Wells, which supports families in many of the surrounding counties. For the past two years, that effort has been headed-up by our Charity Chair, Chris Hamilton. Thanks to her efforts, and your very generous contributions of gently-used clothing, bathroom supplies and Walmart gift cards, we have been able to help provide support for the families who desperately need our help throughout the year. So for her many trips to the Hope Shelter, and her work on drumming up support for the home, we honor Chris this month with our token of appreciation, Mav of the Month. Congratulations, Chris, and enjoy your gift card to the Silver Fox restaurant in Grapevine!
Like a Personal Trainer for your Porsche! • Expert maintenance and repair services • Track Day Preparation • Performance and appearance upgrades from GMG, Manthey, FVD and More • Superior customer service and free loaner cars • PCA Discounts • Show quality detailing services • We build Spec Boxsters
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Come See Our New Facilities! Thanks to you, we’ve outgrown our old facility, and have moved to our new, 36,000 square foot service and sales facility. Come visit us at the corner of Midway Road and Skylane Drive, right across the street from Addison Airport. 3236 Skylane Drive, Dallas, Texas 75006 214-269-1570 • www.racperformance.com © 2011 RAC Performance, Glenn Zanotti Art Director/Photographer.
3
President John Hamilton C-817-907-7823 president@mavpca.org
Vice President Gareth Maurice
C-817-821-2940 vp@mavpca.org
John enjoys DEs, Happy Hours, the Porsche Parade, and other social events. He and wife Chris have owned Porsches since 1996 and joined the Club in 2002. John’s Grandfather in New Jersey owned a 1960 356B Coupe and later a 1965 356SC Cab which is how it got into his blood. POSITION
CHAIRPERSON
AX Chair Travis Howard TT Chair Travis Howard AX/TT Registrar Robyn Howard AX/TT Rules Charlie Davis AX/TT Schools Robyn Howard AX/TT Tech Insp Position Open AX/TT Workers Robyn Howard Charity Chair Chris Hamilton Club Race Co-Chair Jim Buckley Club Race Co-Chair Pat Heptig Club Race Co-Chair Joel Nannis Club Race Registrar Wendy Shoffit Concours Chair Andy Kay DE Chair Chris Tabor DE Chief Drvng Instr. John Sandusky DE Equip. Mgr. Luke Edson DE Registrar Wendy Shoffit DE Safety Bob Benson DE Sponsorship Daren Kirbo Email List Moderator Bob Benson Goodie Store Pat Friend Maverick Socials Paul and Veronica Ramos Histographer, Tenured Charlie Davis Membership Susan and Tom Froehlich On-line Calendar Brendan Eagan Past President Mike Brodigan Public Relations Linda Bambina Slipstream Advertising Pat Friend Editor Carey Spreen Event Ad Design Gareth Maurice Mailing & Tech. Andy Mears Printing Fran Ussery Content Wrangler Linda Bambina Mentor Wendy Shoffit Social Chair Tracy Robertson Sunday Drives John Harvey, Brendan Eagan Swap Meets Robyn Howard Tech Sessions Ed Mullenix Trivia Chair Jerry DeFeo Website Denny Payne
4 February
Gareth still remembers the cover of the car magazine that drew him into a lifetime of loving cars. He spent many afternoons riding his bike as a young kid to the local newsstand to buy and read everything he could. He now owns a Midnight Blue 911S and enjoys driving it in wonderful Texas!
Secretary Wendy Shoffit C-972-977-9821 secretary@mavpca.org Wendy and husband James joined Maverick Region in 1997, when their daughter was only 9 months old. Jasmine is now ~17. They own 3 Porsches including a 1978 911SC as a dedicated racecar, which she enjoys autocrossing. Her daily driver is a 2000 Boxster. She also serves as the PCA National Newsletter Chair.
Treasurer Jim Falgout W-972-669-2370 C-972-345-3009 treasurer@mavpca.org Jim joined Maverick Region in August, 2008. He drives a 2003 996, which is the third Porsche he has owned. Jim enjoys attending Maverick Region social and driving events.
Linda Bambina 214-616-1936 pr@mavpca.org
Chris Hamilton
Keith Olcha
hope@mavpca.org
keitholcha@verizon.net
Bob Benson 817-457-8833 bbenson1@airmail.net
John Harvey 214-808-1414 tours@mavpca.org rocky@airmail.net
Denny Payne
Mike Brodigan 817-233-0068
Robyn Howard 214-991-0873 ax@mavpca.org
Paul & Veronica Ramos 972 821-9333 hh@mavpca.org
webmaster@mavpca.org
drivingschools@mavpca.org
Jim Buckley cr@mavpca.org
Travis Howard 214-616-6152 tt@mavpca.org
Tracy Robertson 817-300-3340 social@mavpca.org
ax@mavpca.org
Charlie Davis chuxter@1derful.info
Pat Heptig 214-649-7907 cr@mavpca.org
John Sandusky 817-777-0421 john.c.sandusky@lmco.com
Jerry DeFeo 972-240-5800 trivia@mavpca.org
Andy Kay 817-483-5258 concours@mavpca.org
James Shoffit 972-786-6246 james@shoffit.com
Brendan Eagan calendar@mavpca.org
Daren Kirbo 254-396-2973 daren@huckabee-inc.com
Wendy Shoffit 972-977-9821 crreg@mavpca.org deregistrar@mavpca.org
Luke Edson 214.796.2241 ledson@edsontech.com
Andy Mears 214-394-5857 andy@mavpca.org
Carey Spreen 817-422-3480 editor@mavpca.org rally@mavpca.org
Pat Friend 214-616-2477 ads@mavpca.org
Ed Mullenix 972-231-5356 techcorner@mavpca.org
Chris Tabor 817-371-4888 de@mavpca.org
Susan & Tom Froehlich
Joel Nannis
membership@mavpca.org
cr@mavpca.org
Fran Ussery W-972-438-8344 H-817-481-8342 fran@usseryprinting.com
goodiestore@mavpca.org
Please help us to keep growing!
Carey On... By Carey Spreen, Managing Editor February is the shortest month of the year, but it is typically when Maverick Region shakes off the winter chill and cranks up our series driving events. The first Drivers' Ed event at MotorSport Ranch takes place on February 15 and 16. Registration is already open, so sign up quickly, because the first DE of the year fills up fast. And while on the subject of DEs, our new DE Chair, Chris Tabor, has announced that we have a new Sponsorship Chairperson, Daren Kirbo. Daren joined PCA in 2012 when he purchased a gray 997 Turbo. (I guess that makes it the Kirbo Turbo!) Anyway,
Daren has already progressed to the Blue run group (solo) and hopes to become a DE instructor one day. Please welcome Daren when you see him at the track. Our Autocross series returns to Crandall at the Dallas Raceway parking lot at the end of February, and a week later is the second one at Pennington Field in Bedford. And for those of you interested in learning more about autocrossing, this year's Autocross Academy will be held later in the spring, on Sunday, May 18. This is the safest and least expensive way to learn how your Porsche really performs, and is an excellent introduction to our Autocross and Time Trial programs. Back to February though, and what's in this issue of Slipstream. We
are kicking off a series of articles that we call "Of Special Interest," highlighting many of the Porsche special interest groups in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This month we feature the 356 Tub Club, and look for articles in the coming months about groups interested in 928s, 914s, and other Porsche models that you may not know much about. Linda Bambina's Garage Glimpses series continues as well, as does a fun column from longtime Porsche Master Technician Cliff Blackshear about practical jokes in the workplace. Our Tech Session Chair Ed Mullenix and regular columnist Ash Seidl-Staley both discuss various leaks and how to fix them. (It's more entertaining than it sounds!) Read on!
5
Gimme a Minute: January Board Meeting By Wendy Shoffit, Region Secretary
R
egion President John Hamilton began the January 8 board meeting at 7:03 pm. He welcomed several guests, including Dick Rogers, Hiram Saunders, and Jacques & Kitty Krielen.
Now is the time for us to nominate candidates for National Awards. We opted out of Region of the Year and Public Service Awards. We would like to pursue either Family of the Year or Enthusiast of the Year for Travis Howard, our 2013 Selcer Award winner. If you have other nomination suggestions, please sent them to John.
He mentioned that the Hope Shelter Christmas party was a huge success. Because of the generosity of Mavericks and sponsors, we were able to give over $2400 in gift cards to the guests and staff at the shelter. See Chris Hamilton’s article for all the details. Tracy Robertson added that these gift cards were in addition to the $3500 we raised at the Founders’ Day Silent Auction. The shelter is very grateful!
Next, John introduced DE Chair, Chris Tabor. He has been doing his best to make improvements to the program in the off-season. In addition to securing $10K in greatly needed UHF radios for the event (see more about this below), he has also been dealing with personnel changes. One change was in the position of registrar. Joel Nannis has done the job for the past six years and has been an outstanding volunteer for far longer. There was nothing but love and respect for Joel as he continues his PCA career, which recently expanded to include being a National Club Racing Scrutineer.
John then brought up our region again possibly participating in a PCA Club Race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin. While last year the event was a success, we didn’t make as much as we thought we would. The cost of the track has gone up substantially this year. Lone Star and Hill Country Regions are already on board for 2014 and wanted us as a third. We discussed many of the issues, including ways to save money, increasing entrant fees, and changing the format to prevent track time problems, etc. The financial projection still remains that the regions will make money, but we go into it realizing that reality is always different from projections. There are many details yet to be worked out, including obtaining new sponsors for the event, but the vote was in favor of taking on the challenge again. We will participate with several caveats, which John will bring to David Gross, the event chair.
6 February
Editor Carey Spreen was next up. The January issue was slow to reach mailboxes because of the holidays. The February issue is on track. He would like more event chairs to post pictures of their events online to our Flickr account. He could then download them for the printed version of Slipstream AND include a link to the online version to view them all. He also mentioned his desire to have more AX/TT pics. Travis volunteered Robyn, in her absence. Chris Tabor was next. He and Bob Benson tested the UHF radios before purchasing them. They worked flawlessly in all areas of the track. The new radios will be here in time for the February 15-16 DE, and they will be easier to charge and transport. The old VHF radios
January 8, 2014 are available to other chairs in the club, if desired, or they can be sold. We have started advertising for the February DE, for which Autobahn is the sponsor. Darren Kirbo has agreed to replace the retiring Keith Olcha as the Sponsorship Chair. Thanks go to KO for his great service over the past years. Lastly, Lone Star Region has approved our using their document that nicely details for entrants our instructors’ criteria for advancement. Sunday Drive Chair John Harvey has been brainstorming events with his wife, BJ, and others. They will work around the existing driving event schedules and soon come up with a plan. There will be a mix of popular past drives and some new drives. There’s sure to be something for everyone. Social Chair Tracy Robertson said that the Holiday Party was a great success, mostly due to our wonderful hosts, Lee and Linda Wilkins. Approximately 100 people attended. She hopes to have a similar venue for 2014. Email your suggestions for locations to social@mavpca.org. Coming up on January 25 is the All Member Party. It’s one of the largest social events of the year, in which event chairs attend to talk about their areas. Guests are welcome, particularly new member recruits. Tracy requests that everyone RSVP several days in advance not only for the party, but also for board meetings (the room was a little crowded tonight). Husband David still had Macan raffle tickets for sale. Autocross/Time Trial Chair Travis Howard let us know he wouldn’t be at the All Member Party. Sadly, he will be at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He is working to update the Autocross
Rules and Classifications to make sure new models are included. He has a yearly schedule nearly complete, with one conflict yet to resolve. He is also working to get the final 2013 season results. PR Chair Linda Bambina mentioned several notable Maverick membership anniversaries, including Don Spaulding (45 years) and Jack Griffin (25 years). She has started a new Slipstream feature, “Garage Glimpses.” Email her (pr@mavpca.org) if you have a fabulous garage that you would like to be showcased. Membership Chair Tom Froehlich reported that we have 2270 members, a net gain of three from last month. Stephanie Ho has been contacting new members to invite them to our monthly dinner socials. Tom will be getting together a group to help call or email non-renewals every month to improve those numbers. VP Gareth Maurice has all insurance needs handled, as well as all current Slipstream ads completed. Concours Chair Andy Kay is ready for the upcoming year. May at Mayo’s will happen, although as of this writing, the date has not been confirmed due to a possible conflict with the COTA Club Race. Maverick Region will again participate in the Autos in the Park
continued on page 8
DECEMBER TRIVIA It’s Easy to Play! Play here for fun and education and find the answers below OR Play for prizes on the web at http://mav.pca.org, with the answers and winners to be posted here after each month’s contest has closed. Thanks to Jerry DeFeo for putting this and the Web Trivia together. Congratulations to our December winner, CYRIL REIF, who got all five correct. Cyril will receive a $25 gift certificate to
1.
Recently there was a survey question that asked, “Should Porsche stick to Sports Cars?” What percentage of respondees said “YES”? a. 44.44% b. 49.98% c. 53.85% 58.70% Source: PCA E-BRAKE, Dec 3, 2013
2.
There is a new vehicle in the Porsche lineup called the Macan. It is a compact SUV built off of another vehicle’s platform; which one? a. Shortened Panamera b. VW Tiguan c. Audi Q5 d. VW Passat Source: PCA E-BRAKE, Dec 3, 2013
3.
There are only two engines available initially in the Macan, both V-6s of different displacements, known as the Macan S and the Macan Turbo. What are the engine sizes? a. 2.7L & 3.0L b. 2.8L & 3.2L c. 3.0L & 3.6L d. 3.0L & 4.0L Source: PCA E-BRAKE, Dec 3, 2013
4.
The little SUV will only be available here with a PDK transmission, but the Turbo model with the Sport Chrono package will run 0-60 in _______ seconds? a. 4.4 b. 4.8 c. 5.2 5.4 Source: PCA E-BRAKE, Dec 3, 2013
5.
But even the smaller-displacement S engine with less HP will run 0-60 in _______ seconds? a. 5.0 b. 5.5 c. 5.8 d. 6.2 Source: PCA E-BRAKE, Dec 3, 2013
Answers: 1) a 2) c 3) c 4) a 5) a
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continued from page 7 event at the Cooper Clinic on June 1. Andy is also looking at October 4 for a fall Concours d’Elegance event. Stay tuned. He is encouraging the DFW 928 group to join PCA and put aside a 15+ year-old issue. Hiram Saunders will be working with Linda Bambina and Andy Mears to ensure changes are made to the mailing database on a regular basis. Some advertisers have long-old addresses.
Jacques Krielen (a 35-year PCA member) was happy to be here. He and wife Kitty live for six months in the Netherlands and the other six in Southlake (due to visa regulations). He enjoys Sunday Drives and hopes to be more involved when he’s here. New Monthly Dinner Social Co-Chairs Paul and Veronica Ramos have the January event set and are looking for locations for the other 11 months.
Cancelled
8 February
Mike Farrar was very helpful in the Chairperson transition, and Stephanie Ho and Randy Csanadi are helping a lot at the events. The last item on the agenda was back to John Hamilton for the Maverick of the Month. While nepotism may have been at play, Chris Hamilton is latest choice as the Charity Chair. She has well deserved this recognition! Congratulations! The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00 pm.
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9
Destination Restoration: Pesky Oil Leaks By Ash Seidl-Staley
W
ell the time has finally come; the 914 has a visible oil leak! It is hard to say where and when the leak actually started. On one hand it could have been a concoction of nearly 40 years of use, combined with the thinner oil that I had in the car, paired with the heat of summer, or on the other hand it could have been those atrociously destructive Plano roads. I am going to go with the latter! I first noticed the problem while I was with my girlfriend Jenny on our way to attend the Maverick Monthly Social at Rio Mambo in Colleyville. We were cruising down 121 when a small wooden block appeared on
Photos by the Author
the road almost as if it came out of another dimension. With not much time to react, I swerved a little, letting the block sweep under the passenger half of my car. I don’t know how familiar everyone is with the undercarriage layout of a 914, but mine has two little mud-flap type things hanging down just past the rear section of the floor pans. I assumed that this flap would provide sufficient protection and deflect objects targeting the underbelly of my engine, but man was I wrong. As soon as I lost sight of the debris, I heard (and felt) loud bangs and thumps as the block flipped up and bounced around my passenger side valve cover area. Nothing happened immediately after the incident; there wasn’t any loss of power from the engine, oil
Typical 914 - no room to work! pressure was still strong, and no other warning lights flickered on. A little shaken we continued on to the
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event. When we got out of the car at the Rio Mambo parking lot we could smell and see smoke bellowing out from under the back of the car as well as from the engine deck lid. Shooting to the ground, I saw a fountain of oil gushing over my hot heat exchangers and pooling on the pavement. I stayed with the car until it didn’t look like the oil was flowing anymore and then went into the Social Hour. I wasn’t going to miss out on any PCA fun even if I did have car troubles, especially since it was Jenny’s first time attending a PCA function! In the weeks that followed I acquired a small steady drip of oil coming from the passenger side of the engine bay. The leak seemed to present itself while the car was running and for a few minutes after it had been shut off. The leak wasn’t terribly bad; it was enough to place some cardboard under the car while it was parked, but it never gushed out again like it did at Rio Mambo. My first step in fixing the issue was to find out exactly where the leak was coming from.
Shredded gasket
New cork gasket in place wrapped in a rag so it wouldn’t scratch the valve cover. Once the cover was off, I found what was left of the previous gasket, and cleaned up all the excess oil along the sealing surface. I had ordered a cork gasket from Pelican Parts a few weeks before, so I had all the parts I needed on hand. I cleaned the valve cover, made sure it was straight and not blown out on the corners, squirted some gasket seal where the gasket was going to go, and set my gasket inside. Five minutes later I had the cover back in position on the engine. The only thing left was to get the spring bar back in place. With some more time, copious amounts of frustration and a little ingenuity it popped into place. I finished my day with an oil change for the car, a new oil filter, and a quick water-free car wash. The 914 is again ready for the road. Well, at least until the driver’s side valve cover gasket blows out.
The passenger side of the engine bay is home to the oil cooler setup, the oil filter, exposed oil return tubes, and the valve covers; all known to be possible causes of a leak at some point. I grabbed a bucket, some rags, and a bottle of degreaser, and began cleaning underneath the car. When everything in the target area was shiny metal, I hopped in the car and started the engine. I walked around to the passenger side, took my position on the floor, and looked for the start of the leak, desperately hoping it wasn’t going to be the oil cooler. Sure enough after a minute of running the car, the leak appeared slowly seeping out the front lower corner of the valve cover. Now that I had my location, the fix was really quite simple. The hardest part was prying off and replacing the valve cover spring bar. I accomplished the removal with the help of a large 24mm wrench 11
Hope Shelter Christmas Party: It’s the Giving that is our Gift By Chris Hamilton, Charity Chair
T
HANK YOU everyone, for your generous donations for the HuffakerHughes Hope House Christmas Party. YOU give ALL year with your generous hearts -- the gift cards, Founders’ Day Silent Auction, and other contributions from here, there, and everywhere.
12 February
Photo Montage by Dave Frick This year, fifteen Moms each received $100 gift cards. The eight dedicated office staff, as well as ten teenagers, were ALL presented with gift cards as well. Thirty children were happy to receive gifts from their wish list. The Keesecker Family and Friends performed a fun “Chicken Dance” and many other exciting German folk dances. Thank you, Jean Frick and Rich Keesecker, for getting the crowd in the spirit with some
favorite Christmas carols. Thank you Dave Frick and Bill Middleton for helping share the spirit of the season with our guests. The students from Chisholm Trail Intermediate School (from the Keller Independent School District in Fort Worth) gave generous gifts of toothpaste, toothbrushes, toys, and more. Thanks again for your thoughtful contributions to the Hope Shelter!
©2014 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times.
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13
Garage Glimpses: Rick Robinson’s Dream Come True By Linda Bambina
L
Photos by Rick Robinson
ast month we visited Jack Griffin’s over-the-top garage. This month I wanted to interview someone with a more “normal” garage space (actually it is a bit larger than normal: 24 x 24 ft) that has been organized and customized after 17 years of bare floor, bare studs, open ceiling joists, and years of “stuff” that had accumulated -- something that many more folks could identify with. I met Rick and Becky Robinson at the very first Maverick Region 50th Anniversary event in 2012 and was immediately impressed with their energy, positive thinking and an aspect of creativity that was hard to explain. Later I discovered that Rick and Becky are over-the-top party planners especially when it comes to their Mega-Watt annual July 4th event on their six acre home in Trenton, not too far from Bonham.
Rick re-purposed the garage cabinets from laminate and aluminum-faced cabinets that came out of a commercial project demolition. (He has his own construction company called Quiet Mind Construction, Inc -you’ll have to ask him about the name sometime!) And of course there is under-counter lighting. The pulldown air hose has an additional work light -- very nice. The floor has three coats of marine industrial epoxy floor paint with flakes and clear coat. Again: oh, so nice. OH, and Becky bought a Porsche wall clock to accompany Rick’s 46” flat panel TV with sound bar and subwoofer (from their track trailer). Some racing furniture was a welcome Christmas gift from Becky, and they have been ordering some “garage art,” including a neon 911 bar sign to finish things off. Life is good and the “babies” now have a clean and neat home! Congratulations on getting that Dream Garage finished, Rick!
Rick is into DETAILS! For his garage project he has installed additional outlets and has a dedicated outlet from his air compressor. Of course the garage is insulated and has been energy-sealed. The ceiling was closed with drywall, textured and painted. James Hardie siding was used to close up the walls to provide a durable wall surface. The attic was floored and lighted for extra storage space. It gets pretty cold up there in North Texas! But of course it gets pretty dang HOT up there, too, so gee, how about a two-ton a/c and heating unit! He didn’t forget to put piped air lines into the wall and ceiling as well. There are also sixteen 1 x 4 two-lamp T-8 recessed fluorescents as well as MR16 adjustable down lights.
14 February
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15
Maverick Region Holiday Party: By Michael Vatter
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hristmas time, party time. And here goes another one. “Honey, whose Christmas Party is this Saturday? Oh, Maverick Club!” It’s at Lee and Linda Wilkins’ house. The weeks leading up to Christmas feel like a part time job with all the parties going on everywhere, and depending on what line of work you are in, it can become quite challenging not to offend people by not going to their events. But as a committed member of the Maverick Club, you go to the Christmas party (unless you only joined for the car stickers and the magazines). So off to North Dallas we go. Crestway Court? No idea where that is, but we’ll find it. But what a pleasant surprise -- once we got there, somebody had directed us straight to the parking lot by putting up signs. Outstanding, much appreciated. A short walk and we arrive at the house. Is this really the Maverick Club or are we in the wrong spot? No, we are right here, there is a face I have seen before. It’s amaz-
Lee and Linda Wilkins graciously opened up their home for our 2013 Holiday Party 16 February
Photos by Charlie Davis and Linda Bambina ing how big this club is. Every time we go somewhere we feel like it’s our first time. Sometimes I think the whole of Dallas is a member of the Porsche Club with all the new people you constantly meet. Wow! We are not surprised that the club chose this location. What a beautiful house. Thank you again, Lee and Linda, for inviting us into your home. I think everybody appreciated the effort you put in. Everything was beautifully decorated and prepared.
Don Sebert, 2013 Secretary Renee Farinella, and Doug Koeppen a subjective impression, but it appears that Porsche people are just a special breed. Down to earth, open, and always friendly. I remember attending another car club’s event. Very different crowd. I’m not going to say who it was, but it rhymes with “Maguar.” The hosts were even considerate enough to supply us with outside heating in form of gas burners so our cigar-smoking friends could enjoy their goodies without freezing.
David Robertson and Social Chair Tracy Robertson Ok, the tour begins. Holy Moly, I found my favorite room: the garage. I have to convince my wife that we need a garage exactly like this one. I could have just spent the entire evening there. Except for the food of course. Maggiano’s Little Italy catered the buffet, and it was phenomenal. I especially liked the cheese pile on the dining room table. For a moment I wondered if I should just take it home with me, but there were just too many witnesses. Yummy. As always, tons of really really nice people. Maybe it’s just
I could write much more about this wonderful event but space is limited and I don’t want to bore the readers. One thing is for sure: whoever plans and organizes next year’s Christmas party has some pretty big shoes to fill, and I think I speak for every member in attendance when I say: “Linda and Lee, job well done. You can be proud of yourselves.”
Former Parade Chair Jan Michel with Monda Hanna
PCA National Club Race Chair Bryan Henderson with Tenured Histographer Charlie Davis
Jasmine Shoffit and mom, Region Secretary Wendy Shoffit
Charity Chair Chris Hamilton and former Parade Chair Teri Davis Rick and Melanie Dyer
Tricia Henderson, Club Race Co-Chair Jim Buckley, and Stephanie Ho
Jasmine Shoffit and Geneva Spreen
AX/TT Chair Travis Howard, AX School and Swap Meet Chair Robyn Howard, Club Race Co-Chair Pat Heptig with wife Flossie, and Club Race Co-Chair Joel Nannis
Past Region Presidents Fred Seipp and James Shoffit
Erika Nannis and Myra Sutton
Christi and Matt Wilson with Monthly Dinner Social Co-Chair Paul Ramos
Michael and Susan Vatter, James Shoffit, Jeff Wiggins, and Lee Wilkins
Click Here for More Photos
17
Insurance Tips: Insuring a Classic Car By Justin Husman, The Phoenix Insurance Editor’s Note: Justin Husman is one of the principals of The Phoenix Insurance, an independent insurance agency specializing in classic, custom, and exotic car insurance. Justin has been in the insurance business for a decade, and was awarded “Best of Dallas 2013” by D magazine. Justin is on his second 944, and can generally be found in and around car shows with his daughter in tow.
I
n our last column, we discussed how best to cover either a daily-driver type Porsche, or a modern weekend Porsche. Since Porsches have such a timeless design, and are as beautiful and desirable at 50 years old as they are brand new, there are a fair number of classic Porsches on the road. As an insurance guy, I can’t tell you how much I cringe when I hear “Oh, I never drive it, so I just put it on my policy when I want to take it out”, or “Oh, I just have it on my regular auto policy.” Neither one of these is a good answer for how you should best cover your classic Porsche. First, I’ll address what I mean by “classic” Porsche: for the purposes of our discussion, a classic Porsche is anything older than 1998. Most insurance companies consider a “classic” anything older than 25 years, but there are some that will write a “classic” policy on a car that’s only 15 years old. When you get in to a “classic” type policy, you generally get great coverage at a fantastic price, mostly because of the limited miles that come with a classic policy. The companies know that you are not going to drive the hell out of your 1959 356, or commute in crappy weather, or text while you drive, or even let yourself be surrounded by Tahoes. They know that your classic is special, and that you are going to make every effort to keep it that way. So what is a classic policy? What does that mean? A classic auto policy is a policy based on “agreed value” of your car – up front, when you call my office, we determine what you want to insure your car for. No, you don’t need an appraisal, because I have a good idea how to value a car, as do the underwrit-
18 February
ers. As long as you are in the reasonable range, we are able to simply let you decide what dollar amount you insure for. Now, if you tell me you have a 944 worth $600,000, I’m going to need some documentation on that, but otherwise it’s pretty simple. Once we agree on the value of your car, we then figure out how many miles you drive per year, and purchase a policy accordingly. Just as an example, a classic Porsche valued at $30,000 that is on a 1200 annual mileage plan would cost $204 a year. That is a full-coverage policy with comprehensive and collision coverage with $0 deductible, roadside assistance, and a guaranteed $30,000 payout if the vehicle is totaled. No negotiation, no waiting with bated breath to see what they will offer, just a simple process. It is exceedingly rare to have a non-specialty policy that has agreed value. At best, some companies offer “stated value” coverage, but that means that at claims time, they will either pay the value you gave them, or the actual cash value, whichever is less. That’s not much better than a regular auto policy. I do want to address the “I don’t drive it so I only insure it when I do” folks. Lots of those people assume that their car would be covered on their home policy, should the house burn down, or whatever. That is 100% wrong. An automobile cannot be covered on a home policy. Anyone that tells you different is wrong, whether they are an insurance agent or not. Likewise, if you put your classic car on for a week or two a year and wreck it during one of those weeks, your insurance company is not going to smile and write you a check. There will be an investigation, lots of questions, and even then, if they decide to pay you (which is entirely up to them) you are going to be looking at the lowest possible dollar for your payout. Why take silly risks like that when there are policies available that will protect you properly all year, and pay out what your car is really worth if something happens? If you have a classic Porsche, you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at insuring it on a classic policy. It’s cheap, easy, and you get to work with me. What could be better?
D
the
arren Houk and his wife Tanya are new Mavs (for about a year now), and he is a new advertiser to Slipstream as well. He “especially enjoys
2700 B WEST PIONEER PKWY (125 FEET S. OF PIONEER, ON THE W. SIDE OF CORZINE ST.) ARLINGTON, TEXAS 76013 817-366-1678 19
Of Special Interest: The 356 Tub Club By Linda Bambina
Photos by the Author
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s most Porsche fans know, the very first Porsche model was the Typ 356. Even though the last one rolled off the assembly line in 1965, there are still lots of 356s in existence, and lots of clubs around the country and the world that celebrate their existence. One of those clubs is right here in the D/FW area: The 356 Tub Club. The Tub Club began in 1988 “when a group of 356 Porsche enthusiasts, wanting to enjoy, maintain or restore their Porsches, met at Zims Autotechnik in Bedford TX.” According to their website, www.356tubclub.org, “Anyone with an interest in Porsche 356s, or for that matter any Porscheengineered vehicle, is welcome.” Ownership is not required. While the club has no formal organization, constitution, or bylaws, it does have a President, as well as three volunteers for Membership, Treasurer and Communication. It is a very social and laid back group for their approximately 100 members. Their website lists activities for this coming year. Generally, there are monthly breakfasts and several organized weekend tours to interesting places and roads. Of course, there are local social events. Their calendar also includes events such as the Porsche 356 Registry Holidays, Hill Country Rallye, the Maverick Region Swap Meet, and Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing. The President of the 356 Tub Club, Jim Usher (who is also a Maverick Region member), invites anyone interested in this model to their annual “Service Clinic at Zims in March for those who want to have their 40+ year-old ride checked over by our technical experts.” Contact Jim at 817-891-2989 for more info on this club, composed of those “who enjoy good company revolving around our beloved 356s!”
At a weekend stop on a tour to Utopia, TX The 356 Tub Club has no affiliation with the Porsche 356 Registry, the Porsche Club of America 356 Register, or the Maverick Region of PCA. Editor’s note: If you are a member of a special-interest Porsche group and would like to publicize it in Slipstream, please send an email with the details to editor@mavpca.org
On a road seemingly built for 356s
The Tub Clubbers at a post-breakfast tour stop on Eagle Mountain Lake 20 February
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21
Cliff ’s Ramblings: Porsche Tech Pranks By Cliff Blackshear
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couple of weeks ago, at the end of a work day, Tim drives his truck into the shop, parks it, and runs into the service drive area. Parking in our shop late in the day with multiple techs who are still around finishing up is a big mistake. Mark B. immediately grabs a handful of tie wraps (long plastic strips made for tying things down), slides underneath the truck, and straps them to the drive shaft. This will produce a whack-whack-whack noise as the ends of the straps slap the bottom of the pick-up bed.
increases to a really loud level. The brake lights come on and he stops, then slowly backs up and comes back into the shop. “Ya got me,” he exclaims getting out of his truck. Of course none of us own up to doing it, and he has to crawl underneath his vehicle and cut the straps off. Next morning he calls one of the guys and says “Man, my truck has a horrible shimmy in the front, can you maybe take a look at it for me?” We finally own up to everything.
Meanwhile, Robert M has hightailed it to the tire mounting room and grabbed nine ounces of wheel weights, which he then applies to the left front inside wheel. Tim comes out and we all appear to be busy with ending our day. As he backs out of the shop, the whacking noise is pretty loud. I don’t know how he does not hear it; maybe he is on the phone or has the radio on at high volume. He backs out the door and it auto-closes. I immediately run down there and go outside to watch him leave. He turns to go out, applies a mild amount of throttle, and the whacking noise
Soooooo, I posted a note on PPN on the Aftersales Forum. This forum is read and commented on by technicians in all 250-plus Porsche dealer workshops in the US and Canada. I asked all the techs to share pranks we have all seen and/or participated in. We are a pretty tight group, and Porsche allows us to speak very freely on a forum over which they have complete control. Everything routes through Germany before it appears on our screens, and they have never censored or taken issue with us in any way. It sometimes can be heated on this site, let me tell
22 February
This is not unusual behavior in an automotive repair workshop. I started thinking about all the pranks I have seen over the years, and realized this would make for a fun article to write for Slipstream.
you. It is interesting to say the least. Anyway, the responses were amazing. I had never dreamed of some of the stuff my colleagues replied with. Some of the pranks I have seen and even participated in, but a number of them are things I have never seen, and are quite industrious undertakings. • Pouring a few drops of oil under a car on which a tech has just completed an engine overhaul, or a car on which he just resealed something. • Wiring an alarm siren to a tech’s toolbox drawer, locating it in a very inaccessible place,making it difficult to turn off. This requires a connection to a power source and adding a micro-switch, lots of wiring, and an alarm horn. • Connecting an alarm horn to the brake light or turn signal circuit.Wiring this in is not too difficult or time consuming. I have seen this many times. • One tech wired a train horn to a service writers desk. It was activated when he opened a drawer. This had to be time consuming to do. • Take a cap from an empty one-gallon coolant container and drill a hole in it. Epoxy
an air hose fitting into it. Attach an air hose that has no pressure on it, but which is connected to an air outlet with a shut-off valve, and put the cap back on the container. Place this assembly under a car that a tech is working on, and wait for him to twist the key to start it. When he hits the starter, you open the air valve and the bottle explodes. Mind you, this has a great impact on a tech that has just fixed a bad fuel leak; it is a very loud explosive sound. This also works well on someone operating a cabriolet top. The top can make a loud noise when one side works and the other does not. This is the noise of large metal framework shearing. Ask me how I know . . . • Here is a good one. Decades ago a tech worked at a shop where they wore jump suits. One guy there was a very large man. They took his jumpsuits from the dressing room and tack-welded the zippers half way up. When the big guy went to pull them on, he ended up falling to his knees. Then he was somewhat perplexed as to why all of his jumpsuits had jammed zippers. • The same tech let seven psi out of a coworker’s left rear tire every Friday. That poor guy dismounted and resealed that tire to the rim multiple times before the prank was finally revealed. • Most Porsche dealers have smoke-generating machines that we use to track down intake manifold or exhaust system leaks; you pressurize a system with smoke to find an air leak. Well, that’s perfect for putting under a car on which a tech is doing major wire repairs. He sees smoke right af-
ter energizing the burned circuit that he just diagnosed and repaired. Talk about red-alert battery disconnection by an individual. This is good stuff! • A tech starts an engine and waits for it to warm up. He goes off to the parts department or wherever. A fellow tech runs over, shuts the engine off, removes the wire from temperature sensor, and grounds it to the block. This sends the temperature gauge reading into the red. Next, he pours a little coolant underneath the engine. The unsuspecting tech comes back to the car and sees an engine that is so hot that it has stalled and started losing coolant. Had the symptoms been real, they would have indicated a catastrophic engine failure. Good one! • Find a vacuum connection on the intake. Hook one end of a hose to it, and put the other end in a container of automatic transmission fluid. This will produce clouds of smoke. • This one I really like. Take a rubber work glove and locate it near a heat gun. Point the gun towards a car on which a tech is doing electrical work. The smell is very similar to burning wire insulation. • One tech told a young, inexperienced parts counter guy to call a local shop supplies company and order some squeegee sharpeners, as theirs were no longer doing a good job. • One of my guys told me that when he was in a high school automotive shop class, there was one character that truly deserved to be pranked. So one day they all grabbed him, tied his hands behind his back with duct tape, and hooked the rear of his belt to an
engine hoist. They lifted him up off the ground and pushed him to the middle of the shop. There he remained until the instructor arrived at class. • A tech got pranked by his parts manager. The manager was an avid fisherman, and put a fish in the tech’s toolbox drawer under the drawer liner, then put all the tools back on top of it. It took the tech some time to determine where the smell was coming from. Payback? He ground up the fish and placed it in the parts guy’s heater vents. This occurred in August. Ugghhhh. • Place a mouse in an oil filter box on the toolbox of a tech who is deathly afraid of rodents. • Put anti-sieze compound or grease on the underside of toolbox drawer handles. • Place an extra bolt on a bench where an engine has just been assembled. I have seen this done in PCNA engine repair classes. • In a PCNA training facility class workshop, we once programmed the alarms of all of the 993s to a single key head. The instructor came in to move one of the cars, hit the key remote, and every car he was near beeped. That was funny. •
This is one of my favorites. One guy wired the auto trunk opener to the brake lights. Every time the brakes were applied, the trunk flew open.
Our world is different from most work worlds. We have to be on-point with diagnostics and repair procedures, and it can be a stressful place. When we can, our release is to have some fun. We love what we do. Cheers! 23
I Get Around: I Hereby Resolve By Dick Badler
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o New Year’s Resolutions really matter? Interesting question. They certainly don’t, if we don’t keep them. So the important thing is to make commitments that we will live by. Resolutions that frame who we are, what we believe in, what we’re going to do. Otherwise, they’re just words on a page . . . or in the ether. That said, as the years go by, it does get harder to write a list. I think it has something to do with our cumulative list of promises kept . . . and not kept. But I don’t care. I need the focus, and I’m forging ahead. Here goes, the resolutions for 2014 that I will live up to or . . . or what? Whatever.
I resolve to not “diss” Porsche for usury in their pricing of options. Is Porsche worse than, say, Apple? The reality is that they have developed product differentiation and imagery to a level that is so immutable that otherwise normal people, usually sane and rational, knowing full well that they’re being ripped off -- big time -- are still willing to pay with a smile. So, more power to Porsche. If it were an easy feat to achieve, everyone would do it. And, I assure you, everyone would like to. This reminds me of the Humphrey Bogart quote. At the height of his fame, an interviewer asked him how he could justify an unheard-of fee of $1 million per picture, which was in real dollars, what, 10 times, maybe 50 times, what it is today. And he answered, “Because I can get it.”
24 February
Courtesy High Gear, the Rocky Mountain Region Newsletter I resolve to not see another film about I’ll educate myself on the ways of racing for another five years, at least. the world. I’ll have plenty of time. Because there won’t be any. As much as we may have liked “Rush,” if only for the racing footage, the fact is that the film zipped in and caromed out, after only a few weekends at the local multiplex. It may have done better overseas, where the populace actually has an interest in the sport, and knows who the protagonists were. It may have even made money, all in, although we know that Hollywood is notorious for creative accounting to make a point. It doesn’t matter. The fact is that, at least in this country, Formula 1 is still a fringe sport, followed rabidly by a minority that isn’t even that vocal. Here’s an analogy: the joke about NHL hockey is that there are 20,000 Ranger fans in New York City, and they go to every game. At least Formula 1 has company in this country. America’s Cup sailing. Rugby. Cricket. Soccer. Wait a minute -- soccer? Yeah, it belongs on the list. It’s been the next sport in this country for at least 20 years now. Or 30. Anybody remember the old NY Cosmos?
By the same token, I resolve to not criticize Formula 1 telecasts for being lifeless, somnolent and self-absorbed to the point of arcane irrelevance. No I won’t. Instead, I’ll just plan accordingly. I’ll pile up the Sunday newspapers next to my remote control, beside my comfy chair. I’ll prepare a piping hot cup of joe and dig into a few scrambled eggs. Sit back. Turn the volume down and try to guess the circuit the circus is visiting that week and . . . during the lulls between on-track passes,
And this will help; after breakfast I’ll hoist my fully-priced Macbook Air on my lap and call up You Tube videos of in-car hot laps, brazen bike vs. exotic banzai runs, multi-car pile-ups, the sight and sound of racing engines firing up.
I resolve to not buy a manu-matic gearbox car this year. This one is easy. I’m not planning to buy a car this year, period. Now, if I were, this resolution probably would not be on my list. Because, wow, with each passing year it’s getting harder and harder to go with a stick. When Porsche builds a new GT3 and makes it available solely with a PDK transmission, I think it’s safe to say the footsteps are getting louder and louder. However, the good news this year is that I can also resolve to not buy a car with blind spot warning, lanedeparture warning, active cruise control, predictive forward collision warning, backup collision intervention or active lane-keeping control.
I resolve to not cancel any of my car magazine subscriptions. Boy, I’ve thought long and hard on this one. When I last moved, a year ago, I gave away all my old issues of Road & Track and Car and Driver. Like decades-worth. They were all in boxes, gathering dust, with multiple moving labels on them, souvenirs from multiple relocations. I hadn’t cracked one open in years. But technology had finally caught up with me: back issues were now all on-line. So my treasured retirement annuity had, all of a sudden, lost all intrinsic value, except maybe to an itinerant collector with more storage space than me.
Nowadays I don’t devour the mags like I used to. Most of the feature stories I’ve already read on-line, thanks to the publishers’ habit of pushing stories my way by e-mail, way in advance of their hard-copy publication dates. And they’re just so repetitive. I really, really don’t care to read the same impressions of the latest whatever from the same ride/drive event, multiple times in multiple pubs. So what am I doing, keeping the subscriptions? It’s tradition, damn it! It hurts me! The joy of opening a full mailbox, of thumbing through, of wiping ink off my fingers . . . of . . . I don’t know! All I do know is I’m not ready to go fully digital.
Although, some months it looks like the magazines have been mainlining too much SlimFast. If this keeps up, I may not have to make a resolution on car mag subscriptions at all.
parks, to be let out in the sunshine for carefully scheduled monthly sojourns around the block, to keep the fluids flowing. Or for parades. Or car shows. Or auctions, where they’re swapped out for another hulking behemoth with bad brakes.
I resolve to not rant and rave about the pointlessness of collecting an- But, no. I resolve that, if it floats your boat, so to speak, go tique automobiles. forth. Just, please, watch your I will not mull over the ratio-
nale of paying a king’s ransom for something that long ago outlived its usefulness at the intent for which it was created.
What do people do with them? Most of the people I see with classic cars, today, stuff them in unmarked warehouses in industrial
mirrors and yield to passing traffic when you’re actually out and about, whenever that is. Ok, that’s it. I resolve to have the happiest of Happy New Years, and I hope you do, as well. See you ‘round the bend.
25
Tech Corner: Too Much of a Good Thing By Ed Mullenix, Tech Session Chair
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r. T has a beautiful blue ’99 Carrera that is now on water pump #7. Sadly, the water pump on the Boxster, 996, and 997 cars is not the most reliable part of the design. The life expectancy of the water pump is unpredictable. I have customers with well over 100K miles on their cars and they still have the original pump. I also have some that have had to replace the pump at as little as 30K miles. Dr. T’s car has around 60K miles at present. Not nearly enough miles to expect seven pump replacements. His first pump replacement was about five years ago at about 40K miles. That pump lasted slightly longer than a year. The number three pump went about a year and a half later. Dr. T. Decided to take his Carrera to a different shop when #3 started leaking. Pump #4 lasted less than a year, as well as #5. The good Doctor brought his car to my shop and was concerned about its chronic water-pumpitis. I would have started looking for some anomaly with the cooling system after the third pump started leaking. True, the pumps don’t last all that long, but three in a year should have caught someone’s attention. Modern cooling systems use a 50% mixture of anti-freeze and water to protect the engine from not only frigid temperatures but also to improve the boil-over protection. To further improve the boil-over protection, the cooling system is provided with a pressure cap (used
26 February
to be called a radiator cap when it sat on top of the radiator). In 1977, when Porsche introduced the wildly popular 924, the pressure cap maintained one bar (14.5 psi) of pressure on the cooling system. The pressure caps on the current cars maintain 1.5 bar (22 psi). This pressure raises the boiling point of the coolant to about 265 degrees F. The components of the cooling system, i.e., pump, reservoir, and radiator, are designed to withstand that pressure. The lonely pressure cap sits on top of the coolant reservoir. It’s pretty reliable and doesn’t get much attention, and therein lies the problem. When a car comes in for servicing and the coolant level is low, standard procedure is to pressure test the system and look for a leak. Apparently, many of my colleages don’t test the pressure caps. When I tested his pressure cap it went to 50 psi, the max pressure on my gauge. His pressure cap never vented any pressure, so excessive pressure would develop, with the resultant pump leakage. I am surprised that he didn’t have other components fail as well. Thinking that all was well and I had cured the water pump issue, pump #6 that I just installed started leaking; it didn’t even make it out of the shop. No pressure problems this time -- just a pump that was made on a Monday morning after Oktoberfest. I SO enjoy a challenge! More Too Much of a Good Thing Porsche recommends Mobil 1 synthetic oil be used in their engines. The viscosity of factory-fill is 5W30, an acceptable oil for most climates
and uses. Bring a Porsche to Texas in August, take it to the track, and see what happens to the oil pressure and ultimately, the engine. Oil is a cushion that separates the metal of the crankshaft from the metal of the bearings. I like to compare oil to one’s shoes. I can walk barefoot on pavement. I prefer to wear running shoes if I am out running. I wear hiking shoes when I go hunting. I don’t run barefoot or in hiking shoes. Bill, a 996 customer of mine who suffered an engine failure a while back, is keen on doing some of his own maintenance. After the engine rebuild, I recommended he use Valvoline VR-1 20W50 racing oil, since he tracks the car a lot. The parts store he goes to didn’t have VR-1 20W50, although they did have VR-1 straight 50-weight. That’s the oil he installed when he changed it. The car performed great last winter and this past summer. This year when it got cold, the 996 developed a running problem. Bill lives in Sherman, where it is usually ten degrees or so colder than it is here. I brought the car into the shop and ran the test protocol. Nothing, no component or sensor issues. Great compression, ran great. I left the car parked outside overnight. The next morning when I drove the car, it started up fine and ran about a block when the engine died. I had to wait about a minute before it would restart. It would crank over but would not start unless I waited a minute. Thinking it must be an intermittent sensor issue that only manifested when it was really cold, I replaced the engine coolant temp sensor,
Since 1971 Providing personalized service on all Porsche automobiles. •
Complete servicing and repairs on all air or water cooled models
•
In-house machine shop
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M96/M97 reconditioning
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Performance and track mods 2530 Tarpley Road • Suite 700 Carrollton, Texas 75006
(972) 417-0997
parked it outside again, but the next morning showed the same result -- it died after driving about a block. If I let the engine warm up a bit before driving, it ran fine. Sitting in a chair in the shop, staring at the uncooperative 996, I pondered what it would be like to be a lottery winner instead of a mechanic. Then I had the “light bulb moment.” The M96 engine has hydraulic valve lifters. It also has valve springs with reduced tension (in order to improve fuel economy). I called Bill and asked him what oil he used when he changed it. He admitted to using the straight 50-weight because he couldn’t get the 20W50. I changed the oil in Bill’s 996, using 20W50. The problem went away. With the straight 50-weight, the oil was so thick that when it was cold, it would allow the lifters to hold the valves off of the seats, with resultant compression loss until the engine got warm and the oil thinned a bit. I maintain some club racers and serious track cars that use straight 50-weight oil. Those cars don’t sit outside overnight so the 50-weight oil isn’t a problem. Oil viscosity -- a little is good, more is better, but too much is NOT just right!
27
Panorama Special Section: Maverick Region featured 50 years ago Images courtesy RJ Wilmoth, PCA National Historian
A
ccording to RJ Wilmoth, PCA National Historian and long-time member of the Longhorn Region (San Antonio area), Porsche Panorama ran 35 “Special Sections” devoted to certain Regions, from 1961 to 1967. RJ was kind enough to send a copy of the Special Section from February 1964, featuring Maverick Region. Presented here for your nostalgic enjoyment if you were around 50 years ago, or perhaps for your historical education if you weren’t around to experi-
ence 1964 personally, are images and articles from that issue, written by Charter Members Jeff and Alverne Horsfall, as well as “missed Charter Membership by one month” member Tom Clayton. All three held offices in Maverick Region’s early years. Jeff and Tom were Region President for two years each, and Alverne was Region Secretary for three years. Jeff also designed the Maverick Region logo that we still use today. Enjoy!
continued on page 30
28 February
For hassle free information on any property in the DFW area, call 972.365.7370
Michael Picolo www.realestatecarguy.com michaelpicolo@ebby.com
After Installation The Art of Paint Protection
A virtually invisible urethane film professionally applied to high-impact areas of your vehicle to protect your paint job from stone chips, sand, road debris and bug acids.
During Installation
Norm Schilling
Owner and Installer 16 Years Experience Highest Quality Guaranteed
2530 Tarpley Road, Suite 100 Carrollton, TX 75006
29
30 February
If you have any changes that you would like to make to the MRPCA membership guide, contact the Froehlichs at membership@mavpca.org
New Wheels By Susan and Tom Froehlich, Membership Co-Chairs Anderson, Victor (Mike Steed) Grand Prairie, TX 1999 Boxster
Donaldson, Jill Dallas, TX 1985 911
Dufresne, Henrik Baczynski, Edmund (Peter) Arlington, TX Weatherford, TX 1986 944 1996 993 Fonolla, Paul Burk, Richard (Vicki) Plano, TX Plano, TX 2014 Carrera 2013 911 Goldberg, Bruce Bustamante, Michael Highland Park, TX 2013 911 Southlake, TX 2002 911 Hanson, Phil Castro, Marci Weatherford, TX 1983 944 Dallas, TX 2014 Carrera 4S Havins, Wade Dallas, TX Cernicky, Andy (Stacey) 1995 911 Allen, TX 2013 911Carrera
Lane, David Rockwall, TX 2013 Cayenne
Maverick Membership Totals Members ~ 1,375 Affiliate Members ~ 895 Total Membership ~ 2,270
Mann, Mav (Winn Reese) Alhambra, CA 1989 928
Okuda, Darin Irving, TX 2005 911 Smith, Stuart Garland, TX 2012 Cayenne
Marti, Al Fort Worth, TX 2003 911 Mason, Dennis (Linda) Denton, TX 2011 Carrera S Methner, Mike Cleburne, TX 1979 911SC Moulton, Bruce Flower Mound, TX 1998 993
Whaley, Mark Frisco, TX 1997 993 Wilkerson, Lance (Kim) Southlake, TX 2014 911 C4S Young, Rusty Dallas, TX 2014 Cayman S
Save the flash!
Flashing your high beams at fellow Porsche drivers is a time-honored tradition . . . keep the flash alive!
Anniversaries Spreen, Carey R.
Benning, James D.
35 Years 25 Years 20 Years
Meyer, Jim Packer, Ian D. Whitman, Richard B.
Gruber, Conrad Wood, Benjamin J.
15 Years
Allen
Dallas
Plano Dallas Plano
Cartwright, Elroy P. Peddicord, Paul I.
10 Years
Southlake Dallas
5 Years
Amirkhan, Nelson Brown, David N. Looney, James D. Nussbaumer, Bernard Lucien Richardson, Doug Robinson, Dick
Dallas Keller Dallas Dallas Dallas Arlington
Dallas Flower Mound 31
Unclassifieds Unclassifieds are available free to Maverick Region members and are $5 for all others (contact editor@mavpca for payment details). Please limit size to no more than 6 lines. Ads will run for 3 issues, after which they will be removed unless you request that they be run for an additional 3 issues. E-mail your ad to classifieds@mavpca.org by the 10th of the month to have your ad run in the following month’s Slipstream. Be sure to include car year, make and model, its mileage and asking price, as well as a contact name, phone number and/or email address. All parts will be advertised on our website. Check your ad for accuracy the first time it runs. Contact the editor to have your ad pulled sooner. Due to space constraints, photos may or may not be included.
For Sale: 2011 Carrera GTS, Guards Red with beige interior, 7,850 miles, all original, in excellent condition, no competition. Original PCA member owner, dealer maintained, new Michelin Pilot Sports and new battery. Factory aerokit body, PDK, sport seats, sport chrono plus, Bose sound system. Price $82,000. Contact Milton Barley at milton.barley@ charter.net or call 817-731-8256. (02)
For Sale: 1999 911 Cabriolet, red, with matching hard top, 75K miles, maintenance records. $19,500. Call Nathan at 940-372-7089. (02) For Sale: 2012 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, silver with full leather black interior. Turbo logo on arm rest, aluminum vent slats, center lock rims. PDK, ceramic brakes, 11,500 miles. Excellent condition, wife’s pampered car used to go to the store and back (literally). Properly serviced, non-smoker, non-track,
Slipstream Advertiser Index
original owner. $139,900.00. Contact George Reich 972-882-9990 or greich@echex.net (02)
For Sale: 1989 911 Carrera, Black, Rare 1989 Carrera W/T, 126K mi. VIN# WP0AB0918KS120324 Black w/Champagne interior. Factory air, windows, seats, locks. $29,900.00 USD. Contact Mark at 214697-8234 (01)
For advertising rates and information contact Pat Friend at ads@mavpca.org
These advertisers support Maverick Region -- Tell them you saw their ad in Slipstream! Ascot Diamonds Autobahn Motorcar Group deBoulle Diamond & Jewelry Eagles Canyon Raceway Ebby Halliday--Michael Picolo Falgout & Associates, P. C. Fifth Gear Motorsports Hoosier Tires Direct .com Invisibra Louden Motorcar Services Mayo Performance Maverick Goodie Store Mullenix Motorsport
32 February
(972) 991-0001 (800) 433-5602 (800) 454-4367 (940) 466-9775 (972) 365-7370 (972) 669-2370 (972) 317-4005 (515) 203-3503 (214) 704-9299 (972) 241-6326 (817) 540-4939 http://mav.pca.org (972) 417-0997
Page 19 B.C. Page 9 Page 15 Page 29 Page 25 Page 10 Page 22 Page 29 I.B.C. Page 21 Page 32 Page 27
Mustard Racing (817) 366-1678 Park Place Porsche (800) 553-3196 The Phoenix Insurance (214) 253-0570 Porsche of Plano (214) 576-1911 RAC Performance (214) 269-1571 RetroAir (972) 960-6899 Roofing Solutions by Darren Houk (817) 692-8496 Silver Fox (817) 329-6995 Sorted Out Organizing Services (713) 724-9543 UPS Store (972) 420-1250 Ussery Printing (972) 438-8344 Zims Autotechnik (817) 267-4451
Page 19 Page 13 Page 21 I.F.C. Page 3 Page 25 Page 21 Page 2 Page 28 Page 29 Page 21 Page 15
Hiram Saunders, Slipstream 155 Jellico Southlake, TX 76092
Periodical Postage Paid at Fort Worth, TX
Š2013 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times. Porsche recommends four winter tires when driving in cold, snowy, or slippery conditions.
Simultaneously breaks new ground, while clinging to the current one. Take the performance that Porsche is known for. Then add to that the strength of a 400 horsepower engine, the design and greater stability of a wider body, the extraordinary traction and agility of all-wheel drive, and an unmistakable illuminated rear light strip. The sum of which is a sports car that holds your attention as tightly as it holds to the road. Porsche. There is no substitute.
Experience the control of all-wheel drive. The new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.
Autobahn Porsche 2815 White Settlement Rd. Fort Worth TX 76107 (817) 336-0885 www.Autobahn.PorscheDealer.com
Porsche recommends